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The core of the group, rhythm guitarist Dave Pritchard, bass guitarist Greg Masters and drummer Roger Spencer, was relatively unchanged from 1959 until February 1972. The band went through several incarnations, names, lead guitarists and lead singers: first Billy King and later, more successfully, with Mike Sheridan, with whom they first rose to prominence and, in 1964, to a record deal with EMI.

While Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders failed to crack the charts, the band's lineup during this period included a young lead guitarist and composer named Roy Wood, whose first commercial song "Make Them Understand," appeared on one of the band's B-sides in 1965.

Wood jumped ship to join the then Brum 'supergroup' The Move in December 1965. Sheridan left shortly thereafter.

The Nightriders soldiered on with a new lead guitarist, Johnny Mann, for a few months. When they placed an advert in May 1966 for a younger replacement, the winning applicant was Lynne, then a relatively unknown guitar prodigy from the Birmingham district of Shard End. The Nightriders recorded one single for Polydor, "It's Only The Dog/Your Friend", released in November 1966 with Lynne on lead guitar. Spencer sang lead on the former; the latter was written and sung by Pritchard.

Eager to showcase Lynne's vocal and guitar skills as well as his growing cache of catchy Beatlesque songs, the group changed its name, first to Idyll Race, then Idle Race. Wood, now a major star as the Move became a successful chart act, helped arrange a partnership with pop producers Eddie Offord and Gerald Chevin for his old bandmates. In 1967, The Idle Race were the first major signing by the new British arm of Liberty Records. Interesting, only their first single (not issued in the UK) and their first album got released in the US on Liberty. (Liberty would later merge with United Artists.)

During this period, Idle Race was also, as one member later termed it, a very "schizophrenic" band. While their records were awash in melodic hooks, paisley-pop backdrops and lilting harmonies, they were a much heavier act in a live setting. Lynne's early trademark around the clubs and colleges was his ability to coax an unusual "violin" sound out of his guitar, while Masters would occasionally take a bow to his Hofner bass. In addition to original material, their set list included extended covers of Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild", The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Purple Haze", Moby Grape's "Hey Grandma," The Lemon Pipers' "Blueberry Blue," The Doors' "Love Me Two Times", and an electric version of "Debora" by Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Influential BBC disc jockeys such as John Peel and Kenny Everett were big boosters of the group. But despite critical respect and famous admirers such as The Beatles and Marc Bolan, Idle Race failed to catch fire with the public.

Bad luck sabotaged efforts from the start. Their debut single on Liberty, a cover of Wood's "Here We Go 'Round the Lemon Tree", was scheduled for release and heavily promoted in September 1967. When the Move's version began getting national in airplay around the UK as the B-side of the hit "Flowers In The Rain," Liberty abruptly pulled the single in the UK (although it was still released by Liberty in the US). The record company replaced it with Lynne's crunching "Impostors of Life's Magazine" in October. With no promotion, "Impostors" received critical praise but this did not result in strong sales.

"The Skeleton and the Roundabout" (February 1968) and "The End of the Road" (June 1968) suffered similar fates. Work continued throughout the year on the Idle Race's debut album, the group commuting in from Birmingham to London on Sundays, when they were granted free studio time at Advision. The resulting "The Birthday Party" was released in October of that year to strong reviews but tepid sales. (Surprisingly, it was issued in the US on Liberty with a modified cover.)

Lynne and Wood's mutual respect and friendship deepened. The demo for the Move hit "Blackberry Way" was recorded in Lynne's front room and borrowed motifs from the Idle Race; the chorus of Lynne's 1969 rocker "Days of the Broken Arrows" lifted part of a riff from the Move's "Wild Tiger Woman". Wood and Lynne often spoke of working together on a project that would integrate classical instruments within a pop/rock idiom.

Lynne received an offer to replace Trevor Burton in the Move in February 1969 but declined with hopes of steering The Idle Race to commercial success — and producing the band's second LP for Liberty.

The self-titled Idle Race was eventually released in November 1969 (in the UK but not in the US). When the two Lynne-penned, Lynne-produced singles that preceded the LP, "Days of the Broken Arrows" (April 1969) and "Come With Me" (July 1969) also failed to chart, their composer's frustration mounted.

Despite more good reviews, Idle Race, the first album to be produced by Lynne, flopped.

In January 1970, Lynne accepted a second offer by Wood to join the Move, on condition that they would eventually retire that band and concentrate on a new venture, Electric Light Orchestra.

Lynne made two albums ("Looking On" and "Message from the Country") and a handful of singles with the Move, including the first version of "Do Ya", as work on the first ELO album continued in the studio throughout 1970 and 1971. The Move, now comprising just Wood, Lynne and drummer Bev Bevan, ceased touring in 1970 and adopted its ELO alter ego permanently in 1972.

Meanwhile, Mike Hopkins (guitar) and Dave Walker (vocals) were hired to replace Lynne in The Idle Race. A cover of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" on Liberty in 1970 finally got them into the top 10—in Argentina. A cover of Hotlegs' "Neanderthal Man" didn't fare as well.

In 1971 the band produced their final album, Time Is for Regal Zonophone (UK only). Pritchard and Spencer, later to become comic "Ollie" Spencer,[2] left shortly thereafter.

After Masters and Hopkins quit the group in 1972, the remnants became the Steve Gibbons Band.

"The Birthday" was recorded by The Fall with vocals by then-band member Lucy Rimmer and no apparent contributions from bandleader Mark E. Smith; it was released as "Birthday" on their 1996 compilation album Sinister Waltz. (The Idle Race are also mentioned in the lyrics of The Fall's 1978 song "No Xmas for John Quays".)

Ambrose Slade (pre-Slade) covered "Knocking Nails Into My House" on their 1969 Beginnings (Now expanded and remastered as part of a soon-to-be-released box set) album.

Finnish band Spider covered Follow Me Follow on their 2nd album 1980.

"Morning Sunshine" was covered by Jeremy as part of the "Lynne Me Your Ears" tribute collection to Jeff Lynne in 2001.

"I Like My Toys" was covered by Radio DJ, Ed Stewart (under the name Stewpot) and the Save the Children Fund Choir.

"End of the Road", "I Like My Toys", "The Skeleton and the Roundabout" and "Sitting in My Tree" were covered by Norwegian pop group The Tables on their 7" EP "The Tables play The Idle Race" (Kippers Records, 2000)

"Days Of Broken Arrows" was covered by The Liquor Giants on the album "Something Special For The Kids" in 1998.

"On With The Show" Covered by Pugwash as a double A side with "At The Sea" released 2010. The chorus vocals are provided by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy

The Move recorded a BBC Session in which they covered " The Birthday" with Roy Wood singing lead. This is currently not commercially available